Manchester Airport ‘chaos’ sees tearful travellers miss flights

Passengers were seen in tears at Manchester Airport after missing their flights due to long queues through security.

Hundreds of travellers were caught up in the chaos at the airport on Friday, with one passenger describing it as an “absolute catastrophe.”

People claimed they faced delays of more than three hours to pass through security checkpoints with many complaining that the airport was understaffed, the Manchester Evening News reports.

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Manchester Airport said the longest security queue was just over an hour and a half – and have now apologised to travellers affected ‘for any inconvenience’.

A spokesperson said the airport faced a higher number of passengers than expected, and a higher-than-usual rate of staff absence on the day.

One passenger, who missed his flight to Kraków due to the long queues, reported seeing people “pushing” and “mini stampedes”.

Fiona Slater said she had already struggled with train cancellations and delays on her way to the airport from Huddersfield when she arrived in Manchester last night.

She arrived at the airport just before 8.45pm on Friday for a 10pm flight to Dublin, which was the last of the day.

On arrival, Fiona said she was faced with huge queues through security.

Fiona said: “I have travelled quite a bit during covid and it’s never been an issue.

“I got talking to a man who had already missed his first flight, had to go back out to buy another ticket for another flight and was having to go through security again.

“There was zero information coming through from staff. They kept saying on the tannoy that for anyone on the Emirates flight to Dubai, it was being held back. But there were zero messages about Ryanair. We just assumed they would do the same for our flight.

“I got through security at 10.15pm and just before my boyfriend messaged to say he could see my flight had taken off.

“Nobody could give me any information, they just said they didn’t know.”

Fiona and some other passengers tried to stay airside so they wouldn’t have to pass through security again but were eventually ushered away by police and placed on a bus that took them landside.

She and several other passengers bought tickets for the first flights to Dublin at 8am this morning and waited in the airport overnight.

She said: “I paid an extra £200 for another flight, not everyone can afford to do that.

“And there was no accommodation offered.

“I asked how long it would take to get through security in the morning and was told it opened again at 3am and I could go through then.”

Manchester Airport said removing people from airside to landside, known as decontrolling, is ‘normal procedure’ as the departures hall is a secure airside space and after the last flight has departed it is closed off to keep it secure.

Daniel Glynn, from Macclesfield, also missed his flight to Kraków from Manchester Airport due to the long queues.

He arrived at the airport at 6pm for a 7.45pm flight and was met with long queues to even reach the…